WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has lauded Pakistan for arresting a suspected senior planner in the suicide bombing at the Kabul airport that killed 13 American service members during the U.S forces withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
The arrested terrorist is being brought to the United States to face charges, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday night.
“I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity. And he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice,” Trump said in a joint address to Congress.
The White House identified the suspect as Muhammed Sharifullah. Officials say he orchestrated the Abbey Gate attack. FBI Director Kash Patel called the arrest “one step closer to justice” for the victims.
A senior US official said Pakistani authorities arrested Sharifullah, also known as Jafar, last month near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The FBI interrogated him over the weekend. He confessed to planning the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing, a 2024 ISIS-K attack in Moscow, and several attacks in Iran.
Officials have not revealed the charges he will face. A U.S. official said the charges will be unsealed Wednesday. Sharifullah was on his way to the U.S. when Trump spoke Tuesday night.
The Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment.
The Abbey Gate bombing killed 13 US troops and 170 Afghans. It wounded many others. The attack sparked outrage in Congress and hurt public trust in Biden’s administration.
A US Central Command review said the bombing was not preventable. The U.S. military identified the bomber as Abdul Rahman al-Logari. He was an Islamic State militant released from an Afghan prison by the Taliban in 2021.
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Trump has repeatedly blamed Biden for the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Abbey Gate attack. A US official said Sharifullah’s arrest followed new intelligence efforts, stronger information sharing, and pressure on regional partners since Trump took office.
